Chattanooga Fire Department Capt. Skyler Phillips fought back tears Tuesday as he told City Council members the story of a nearly blind woman with broken glasses who used to regularly call 911 seeking help after tripping and falling.
This fall, the department launched a new program, CFD Connect, that seeks to connect frequent non-emergency 911 callers with social services that proactively address their problems before they turn to calling for emergency help. Since outfitting that woman with a new chair and glasses, she hasn’t called 911 a single time, said the emergency medical services coordinator for the fire department.
The saddest part is how common these cases are, Fire Training Chief William Andrews told the council.
When they get the calls, first responders recognize the addresses. They know the callers by name.
“We get to know these people so well, and they get to know us and how we work. They will try to do everything they can, but we always tell them ‘If you need us, call us. We’re coming,'” Andrews said during Tuesday afternoon’s council meeting. He recalled a woman who would lay on the floor all night after falling. She didn’t want to wake up the firefighters, so she’d wait to call 911 after the morning shift change.